Thai firms encouraged to apply for Japan award

The Japan Management Association (JMA) has invited Thai companies to apply for the annual Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) Award, although Thai companies must work harder than Japanese firms to win it.

The TPM Award is organised by the Japan Institute of Plant Maintenance (JIPM), a member of the Japan Management Association (JMA), and is given to applicants who pursue a corporate culture that thoroughly improves production-system efficiency.

The goal is to achieve zero losses by overlapping small-group activities, according to Hideki Nishioka, manager for global strategy division of JMA Consultants Inc.

The JMA is a non-profit membership organisation established in 1942 under the accreditation of Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).

Mr Nishioka attributed the resistance to change among Thai employees to their free spirit and long independence.

In addition, Thais are more free psychologically to move to other companies that offer better returns than their Japanese, counterparts who still cling on the lifetime-employment concept, said Mr Nishioka.

"A Thai company may need to adjust 20-50 percent of its corporate culture to win the TPM Award while offshore Japanese management in any offshore company need to change their culture by 10 percent," said Mr Nishioka.

To comply with the TPM criteria, Japanese management staff need to instill the concept of "mono tsukuri" or "turning raw materials into products" in local employees.

In addition, the TPM requires that workers be responsible for the maintenance of their equipment and solve work problems by themselves.

When a problem emerges, the responsible person must consult with his superior, subordinates or even corporate advisers to find the way out.

"Thorough communication and effective interaction between Thai and Japanese employees would overcome cultural differences and lead to learning and new corporate cultures," said Mr Ueno.

According Mr Ueno, around 130 companies worldwide apply for the TPM Award. JIPM aims to enable at least 15 Thai companies to meet the TPM's criteria each year.

In Thailand, companies that have adopted the TPM criteria for its management and production are Unilever, the Siam Cement Group and the Birla Group. But Toyota Motor Thailand is the only local company to have won the award.